Makayla Madden Photo

Name: Makayla Madden

Twitter: @makaylamadden_

Facebook: Makayla Madden Photography @makaylamaddenphoto

Instagram: @makaylamaddenphoto // @boudoirbykayla

Website: www.makaylamadden.com

Title: Photographer/ Owner// Studio Owner

City you live in: Boise

If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be... "Oh man, this is tough. Besides my husband? I'd probably say the Lonely Island Crew!"

One thing I cannot live without... "Jesus. Photography. Food. Sugar. COFFEE. My cats. My Deva Curl hair products."

When I was younger, I wanted to be... "A Photographer! Or photo journalist"

The one person who motivates me is... "My husband, and my daddy (I know that's two but they're both amazing)"

If I could change anything in the world, it would be... "That we could all accept that we have different view points, and love each other regardless if we all agree or see eye-to-eye or not."

I'm currently working on... "A whole bunch of sessions! But my biggest endeavor is I am opening up a natural light studio in my city with another photographer. We are launching on August 25th and we have to get our new floors in, and get everything set up and ready to go before grand opening day"

Always... Be kind, and communicate with EVERYONE

Never... Assume situations

Favorite Quote: "But if not, He is still good."

Biggest Dream... "To be millionaires by 30! And be able to give and give and give to everyone around us"

My Pet Peeve(s)... When people don't put their shopping carts away.

How did you start "Makayla Madden Photography/ Boudoir by Kayla"... I started shooting at age 14, and did alot of sessions in high school as I was still learning. Most of what i had learned up until age 19 was all self taught. I was praying a LOT about when to go full time, back in July of 2015. At our church camp that month, God told me to go home, quit my job serving coffee at Dutch Bros (to give them a month's notice), and then spend that month getting all the practical business things in order. The day I have my month's notice, I started getting inquiries right and left (even though I hadn't been shooting in a year!). The rest is history/ I went to some workshops in October of that year that changed my life, and I owe everything I have now to God and what He's blessed me with!"

What do you do to keep yourself inspired:"I love to pray, or look through interested or Tumblr. Watching other creative documentaries/shows on Netflix is another big one. Or making sure I am not so busy that I don't have time to hang out with friends and family. Being with people I love is what inspires me the most, since portraits and capturing stories are my passion!"

How did you grow your business... "Honestly, I really didn't. I have to give all that credit to God! But it did help that id been shooting for 5 years when I went full time. And I made sure to blow everyone I photographed away, so that word of mouth spread. I also marketed the heck out of myself on Instagram and worked long and hard to build my SEO on my website. Taking risks, making sure to network with everyone around me, and being kind, has proven to come back to me tenfold."

Do you have any mentors... "Ben Sasso and Sue Bryce were huge inspirations for me when I first started out. Right now I don't have anyone actually mentoring me though! I actually do a lot of mentoring with other people myself. Teaching people actually helps me grow even more than when I went to workshops!"

What do you recommend to someone getting started in the photography industry and especially boudoir? "Make sure that you get all the not so fun business things in place OUT OF THE GATE. Don't try to backtrack. Make your life easy and separate out your finances by getting a business account. Take classes on how to run your finances. Get a good CPA/. Use a cost of doing business calculator to REALLY see how much you need to be charging to make your desired profit/salary, based on how much you want to shoot. And don't be afraid to ask for help from those around you! And then my biggest one: ask yourself "Why?". Why are you doing this? Why do you love photography? Why do you love boudoir? That "Why" will be what attracts people to you and pushed you, even in the toughest seasons!

What is something you wish someone told you earlier about the photography industry?

"That you don't have to be alone in this. That there are groups and people you can connect with so that you have a support system and have help!"

Have you every done your own boudoir session? If so how did it go?

"I've done several! They were all really fun and went really well. I also learned alot about what it feels like to be in from to the camera, and that helps me when I shoot others."

How do you prepare for each session? "I always like to start out with a lot of prayer and worship. A cup of coffee the mornings I shoot. And the week leading up to a session, I like to get a mood board and shot list together to really capture the essence of who I'm shooting, and go into our session with a game plan!"

What are 3 things you would tell a photographer to have for a boudoir session? "Besides camera gear? Music/ Blue tooth speaker. Scissors (for cutting of tags). Good, natural light!!"